andrewsgoodrichFeb-04-2009 10:05pm
Live Chat Wrap-Up
First of all, thanks to all of you who tuned into our live chat this afternoon - this week’s ‘show’ was quite a success - we really had a lot of fun with you guys! And, of course, we hope it was helpful for you on some level.
I think we saw how many different opinions there are on the ‘right’ way to do social media. Everyone has their own ideas of Twitter do’s and Twitter don’ts. But what is common between everybody’s lists is that it’s essential that you are providing value for your fans/followers and that you are engaging them on a personal level. After all, that’s what social media is about - socializing. Markets are conversations. So converse with people the way you converse with people. Don’t advertise AT them. Social media and advertising are arch enemies, they hate each other, they will fight to the death… and social media will win because it engages us in the way that we like to be engaged: by socializing. That said, here is a recorded video of the chat that took place this afternoon for your viewing (and reviewing) pleasure.
We’ll be back next week - same time, same place! In the meantime, we’ll see you back on twitter!
Use The Web: Why Paul Boutin Wants You To “Kill Your Blog”
Paul Boutin’s article in WIRED magazine this month suggests that blogging in the age of Twitter and other such services is antiquated and pointless. The “blogosphere”, he says, has become overly saturated with cut-rate journalists and underground marketing campaigns that have effectively drowned out the authentic voices that originally defined the movement. Utilizing services like Facebook, Flickr, and Twitter, where you can specifically tailor your audience to what you provide, thus getting more return for your effort, is a far more effective use of your time and energy. Plus you won’t have to deal with the legions of hecklers out there trolling around just looking for things to hate.
There just might be some truth to what Boutin is saying. Notable bloggers like Jason Calicanis have abandoned their blogs and (in some cases) Twitter feeds all together, retreating to the safety of email lists, sending out their opinions in a much more private, direct way to those who genuinely want to hear/read them. The connection, Jason says, is far more direct and meaningful.
Trends tend to move in a cyclical fashion and it certainly holds that what is once on top has to spend some time on the bottom before coming back around again. This may be the case with blogging. I know that, in my personal experience, the connections I have formed through Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr feeds are targeted to those people who have specifically made an effort to follow what I do. The other beauty of these systems is the brevity which they require (I am sure some of you are agreeing with them by this point in my post), as Paul artfully demonstrates in this Twitter-style summation of his point:
“Kill yr blog. 2004 over. Google won’t find you. Too much cruft from HuffPo, NYT. Commenters are tards. C u on Facebook?”
By cutting down the number of people I am disseminating my information to I am, effectively, using a rifle, not a shotgun and choosing quality over quantity. My blog is becoming almost ancillary, providing a place for my readership to go when they want to look a little bit deeper into something I have linked to or talked about on one of my feeds, rather than being at the center of my web presence. Who knows, maybe I too will start sending out a weekly email update specifically tailored to a niche community of loyal readers.
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What do you guys think? Is blogging dead or dying? Is this the natural trend cycle taking running its reactionary course or is there something to this idea of direct connections with a smaller audience being more meaningful?
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NOTE: Boutin’s article originally appeared in the November Issue of WIRED under the title “Kill Your Blog.” They changed it online. I am also aware of the irony of posting about this subject on a blog.
Use The Web: Redbubble.com
Hello readers -
This is the first installment of what I am going to be calling the “Use The Web” series. My aim is to point you in the direction of sites/services/ideas that you might not know about but could easily put to use in your own musical and artistic endeavors.
Redbubble is an easy to use web portal and manufacturing company for artists who are looking to profit from their artwork by selling directly to their fans. Artists upload their work and fit it to one of the pre-formated templates that Redbubble provides for the types of products they distribute, which include t-shirts and posters, and begin selling right away. Each artist is given a profile page on the site, which is essentially a visual portfolio for their work. Artists are searchable based on their unique usernames or by tags associated with their merchandise and can be “subscribed” to so that customers can be notified when any new products are made available.
Earnings are deposited on the 7th of each month either through direct payment into a bank account or Paypal account, or by check via snail mail, providing you have earned at least $20 US in that month. Pricing of products is determined by adding a fixed manufacturing price that Redbubble sets depending on the type of product you are selling to the percentage markup that you as the artist wish to charge. You keep the percentage, and they keep the base price. The customer pays shipping and handling.
Signing up for a Redbubble profile is quick and painless, as you can see in the video below:
If you looking to make your first foray into distributing t-shirts, posters, and odds and ends online but have no idea where to start, Redbubble certainly seems to be a great place to begin. The way that Redbubble handles its pricing means that roughly $5 to $7 per t-shirt (depending on your markup) goes directly into your pocket. Not a stellar amount, but considering that the messy details of manufacturing, distribution, and payment processing are handled for you, its not a bad deal, especially if you are just getting started. The clean aesthetic of the site, its ease of use, and its simplicity to navigate all serve as an asset to helping you look a bit more professional for a much lower barrier to entry in terms of the time and expertise required to handle on your own.
Check it out and let me know what you think.
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If you have any suggestions for something I should be covering on Use The Web, feel free to contact me via a message on the Facebook group.
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